Game note: Miami vs Bama

[hscoach]

                                             Miami vs Bama

First, congrats to the Bama players and coaches for the victory over Miami.  Too me, the offensive game plan was pretty vanilla as well as the defensive game plan.  What I mean by this is there were fewer RPO’s on offensive as well as screens.  On defense. I didn’t see a lot of blitzes.

OFFFENSE:  The offense put together 501 yards of total offense which included 354 passing yards and 147 rushing yards.  Their first half yards were 291 while their 2nd half yards were 210.  Remember here, they were running the ball more and keeping the clock running.  I credit Bama with 2 three and outs.  In the first half they had a 3 and out after a turnover, but it led to a field goal.  The other 3 and out was in the 2nd half.  As for plays that covered 10+ yards, Bama had 4 running plays and 12 passing plays.   For negative plays, I have Bama with 9 tackles for losses, 1 sack and a lost fumble.  They had another fumble, but fortunately recovered it.  Bama got most of their scores from outside the red zone or right on the edge of the red zone.  Overall, it was a very balanced attack with all the different receivers and running backs used.

QB:  Young had a very good opening game against what is considered to be a pretty good team.   He completed 27 out of 38 and had at least 1 drop on a catchable ball.   This equates to a 71% competition rate.  He averaged 12.7 yards per completion and 9.05 yards per pass.  It does seem when he makes his mind up on a receiver, he has a quick release.  Tyson had 1 throw and it was a good one for a 10-yard completion.  He really didn’t get the extended playing time and was there for mop up duty/

RB:  I really thought they all ran well.  Robinson did a good job an led the way with 60 yards on 12 carries.  As a group they had 155 yards on 35 carries which is about 4.4 yards per carry.  It was good to see Sanders get in and have some quality plays.  Overall, they should help keep fresh legs in the game all year.

Rec: Not counting running back, 8 different receivers caught the ball.  The transfer Williams led the way with 126 yards on 4 catches.  Metchie had 6 catches for 76 yards.  This is another area where it looks like Bama is loaded, like the RB position.

OL:  I thought they played well.  It looked to me like there was more communication going on within the OL.  I know looking at the stats there were a lot of negative plays, but Bama was running the ball/clock and not checking out of difficult plays.  This was especially good to see with all the new faces on the OL as well as position changes.   They also got thru the game without one penalty called on the OL.  I don’t remember the last time that happened.

Def:  I thought the defense played well.  As I said above, I thought it was a vanilla game plan. Bama gave up a total of 266 yard which includes 178 passing and 88 rushing yards.  They were held to 107 in the first half most of which came on the last drive before the half.  For negative plays, I have the Bama defense with 3 tackles for losses, 4 sacks, 1 fumble recovery and 2 interceptions.  I really thought the fumble recovery was an interception since it didn’t hit the ground.  Miami had 3 three and outs.  For plays that covered 10+ yards, I have them with 3 runs and 4 passing plays.  This is the fewest I can remember since I don’t know when.  I have Miami getting in the red zone, 3 times, kicking 2 field goals and turning the ball over on downs on a very good goal line stand.  Their other score came from outside the red zone.

DL: The D line had a good game and I thought dominated the Miami OL.  They did a great job occupying the OL to allow the LB’s and safeties to make plays.  They all contributed in making plays.  The standout would be Anderson who is officially listed as an OLB.

LB: They played well and seem to get people lined up where they were supposed to be.  I really didn’t see a lot of busted plays.  I guess, like the announcers said, it was an easy transition with To’oTo’o since he played in Pruitt’s defense at UT.   I think this also help take pressure off of Harris and allows him to play more freely.

DB: I really thought they played well.  I do think one of the PI calls on Wright should have been a no call.  Also, on the touchdown pass they allowed the offensive player to hold the defensive player off by holding his facemask. Miami only averaged 7.7 yard per completion.  I would say most of his 31 throws were between 5 and 10 yards, because either the deep receivers were covered or he didn’t have time to throw the ball deep.  I really thought they did a good job tackling as did the team as a whole in the first game from what I have seen in the past.  Another point I want to make was how well the DB’s and OLB played the wide receiver screens.  Most were for minimal gain or even a loss on the play.

Special teams:  Special teams were solid.  The only flaw was the back up kicker kicking one out of bounds and a questionable return on a kickoff that only got past the 20.   Reichard remains perfect from last year adding a 51 yarder early in the year.

Penalties: Bama had 8 penalties for 81 yards.  The first was a false start on a receiver, 2nd was the questionable PI call on Wright.  Most of the penalties were on the defensive backs, with 2 PI calls and 2 holding calls.   Also, the block in the back on the interception return was on a DB.

Finally, I thought Bama looked good for a first game and filling so many offensive holes.  I thought the defense played some of their best assignment football for a first game.  Usually, players are so excited and want to make plays they make mistakes.  This seem to be held to a minimum.  Hopefully, the injures are not serious and they can continue to improve next week.

Feel free to comment:

18 and Counting

[lstephen]

Good analysis coach.  Thanks!

I hear we have lost Allen for the season.  Hate that for the kid and the team.  The Anderson/Allen team looked to be tremendous though we didn't seem to miss a beat against Miami.  Losing T'oo T'oo for more than Mercer could hurt, too.

Glad to see you back for another season.  ROLL TIDE!!!

[hscoach]

Good analysis coach.  Thanks!

I hear we have lost Allen for the season.  Hate that for the kid and the team.  The Anderson/Allen team looked to be tremendous though we didn't seem to miss a beat against Miami.  Losing T'oo T'oo for more than Mercer could hurt, too.

Glad to see you back for another season.  ROLL TIDE!!!

That is bad news on Allen.  They do have high expectations for his backup.  Good to be back, thanks.

[2Stater]

Great assessment Coach, thanks. The D looked smothering for a large part of the day and the O executed well. Can't ask for much more than that with a vanilla game plan.

I really hate that Allen's out for the year. T'o T'o called a great defensive game. We need him back as soon as possible.

[KoKoPuf]

Great write up, Coach! I think you are in mid-season form already.

[hscoach]

Great write up, Coach! I think you are in mid-season form already.

Thank you, feel a little rusty.

[hscoach]

I also meant to mention their pace of play.  It wasn't as fast as last year, but there is a period of adjustment and think this pace could increase as the year goes on.

[Merk]

Great job, as usual, Coach.

Maybe it's me but this team seems to be farther along than previous Bama teams. Very impressive win over a good Miami team.

[hscoach]

Great job, as usual, Coach.

Maybe it's me but this team seems to be farther along than previous Bama teams. Very impressive win over a good Miami team.

That's a great way to phrase it..  i agree.

[Jamos]

Good read, as always.

[ricky023]

Great job hscoach and it is great to be back with you again this year. God Bless. RTR!

[hscoach]

Thank you guys for the welcome back as well as the comments.

[N.AL-Tider]

Hey Coach, I enjoy reading your analysis each season. Personally though, after the first game or two each year I tend to be a bit reserved on my optimism for the team.  After the Miami game I am just not sure if we are as good a team as we appeared or maybe Miami wasn't nearly as good as they were accused of being.  Maybe a bit of both. Whatdayathink?

[bamaphil]

Hey Coach, I enjoy reading your analysis each season. Personally though, after the first game or two each year I tend to be a bit reserved on my optimism for the team.  After the Miami game I am just not sure if we are as good a team as we appeared or maybe Miami wasn't nearly as good as they were accused of being.  Maybe a bit of both. Whatdayathink?

The last two times I remember Bama looking so complete in openers were 2012 vs. Michigan and 2016 vs. USC. Both of those teams ended up being really good. My only fear is that they get overly confident after Saturday’s game and aren’t ready for Florida.

[hscoach]

Hey Coach, I enjoy reading your analysis each season. Personally though, after the first game or two each year I tend to be a bit reserved on my optimism for the team.  After the Miami game I am just not sure if we are as good a team as we appeared or maybe Miami wasn't nearly as good as they were accused of being.  Maybe a bit of both. Whatdayathink?

It is always hard to determine how good a team is going to be after the first game.  The ratings are based on the opinions of sports writers and others.  They are going by what happened last year.  I am kind of like you, I  don't know if Miami is the quality team others say they are.  However, I look at other things like assignment football.  I thought Bama did a good job with that and that goes a long way in a teams success.  Second, the depth Bama showed.  I really don't think they missed a step early when subbing in skilled players.   Third a look at the rebuilt offensive line.  I thought they did well, especially with the losses from last year.  Miami may not be the best test, but who looked as good playing what is supposed to be a quality opponent on both sides of the ball?  Can they improve, yes. Will competition get harder, again yes.  That being said, I thought they got off on a good start.

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